Gift of Love
by leighann415
Summary: It's the first Father's Day without Neal, and Rumple and Belle want to make it special for everyone.


Belle looked over at her sleeping husband. Since they'd been married, she vowed she'd do everything she can for him. And that would include today. His first Father's Day without Neal. Or Bae, as Rumple had known him. Her heart ached for her husband. She had known Neal quite well in their year in the Enchanted Forest. She had almost grown to love him as her own son, which he would've been now, if things were different. But she knew she would always hold a special place for him in her heart. But there was also somebody that was hurting today too, and she wanted to do something to help ease the pain for the two of them.

Suddenly, she noticed Rumple looking at her. He touched her hair softly. "What are you thinking about, dear Belle?"

Belle wasn't sure if Rumple was ready to talk about Neal again, least of all, to her. "I was thinking about Father's Day," she whispered questioningly. She realized then that Rumple probably never celebrated Father's Day. Not for himself, or for his father, who turned out to have been Peter Pan, and who was no longer in Rumple's life.

Rumple sighed heavily. He had never given the holiday much thought. But this year would be different. Not only was there a hole in his heart that Bae had once filled, but there was also the knowing that this was the first Father's Day for the Charming family, with their little Prince Neal. And he did want to see that it would be a happy day for both families.

Belle took Rumple's hands in hers. "I know this will always be a hard day for you. It will be for me as well. But I have an idea and I think it would be a really wonderful thing to do."

Rumple knew he would do whatever it was. He would do anything for Belle, and she knew it.

"What is it?"

She was suddenly a little nervous. She knew he wouldn't want to give up anything that belonged to his son, or that reminded him of his precious short time with him. But she knew she couldn't be nervous around her own husband. He wasn't the Dark One anymore, no matter what he thought.

"I would like for us, together, to give Henry his father's shawl."

Rumple was taken aback. He could never give that up. "No, no, no…" He started shaking his head.

"I knew it would be hard. But you didn't just lose a son when Neal died. Henry lost a father." She touched his arm gently.

Suddenly, there were tears in Rumple's eyes. He had never been able to grieve for the loss of his son, and he knew that he would always be missing him. This grief was so much different than Mila. Even if it got better with time, he knew the pain would always be there. But Belle was right. Maybe by doing this, it would help lift his reputation amongst the town. So he agreed.

With a tight hug, Belle got up to get ready for the day. She knew the Charming family would want to spend the day together, with their new addition, but she had barely gotten to see the baby very much since he'd been born. So they decided to pay a visit to the little family.

* * *

Mary Margaret looked over at David, holding Prince Neal. She knew this would never get old, and she'd always regret not being able to do this for Emma. But that was in the past. And Neal was their future.

"Happy Father's Day!" She said brightly to her husband. Prince Neal fussed at the outcry. Mary Margaret quickly took her son in her arms.

"Shh…I'm sorry, little prince."

David couldn't help but laugh at the exchange. Today was his first Father's Day with this little miracle of theirs. And he couldn't be happier. There would always be a void, though, of missed moments with Emma at this tiny age.

The sound of a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. And just as if he summoned her, his daughter and nephew were there. Emma carrying a vase of flowers.

David took the flowers from Emma and set them on a table. They certainly brightened up the apartment.

Emma smiled, and went to him for a hug. "Happy Father's Day, Dad." It hadn't been that long since Emma had started using "Mom" and "Dad" more often, and he relished it every time he heard it. He knew that was one of the positive things that came out of the whole Zelena/Wicked Witch debacle. If there were positive things from that horrible time.

Mary Margaret let the two share a moment. She took it all in. It was only the beginning, she realized. There would be many more little family moments like this to come.

The moment was interrupted with another knock on the door. Everybody had been coming to see Prince Neal since he'd been born, so it wasn't out of the ordinary that they should get a visitor.

"I'll get it," David said as he moved to the door. "You seem to have your hands full, Mary Margaret." He smiled.

They were taken aback momentarily by who stood at the door. It was Rumpelstiltskin, and Belle. Although Rumple had changed his reputation from being the Dark One, there was still trepidation when he entered a room. It seemed as though Belle was carrying a sack of some sort.

Belle immediately went over to Mary Margaret and Prince Neal, gushing over the baby. Rumple smiled at the sight.

Then something strange, but magical happened. Emma came over and put her arms around Rumple. Since Bae had died in Emma's arms, they shared this strange connection even more so now. Rumple didn't know what to say.

But Emma whispered in his ear, "Happy Father's Day. I know this has to be a hard day for you." He was speechless. But he remembered why he and Belle were there. He motioned for her to come over to him.

He took Belle's arm, and replied, "Thank you, Ms. Swan. It is a very hard day to be sure. But that's why we're here." He smiled a small smile at his wife, and nodded.

"We want to give Henry something."

At the sound of his name, Henry whirled around. He wasn't sure how he was feeling on this day, without a father, but he managed to keep those feelings at bay.

But when he saw what Belle was giving him, he began to feel tears in his eyes.

"This is your father's shawl he had when he was a boy. We would like you to have it to remember your father by."

Belle looked at her husband, and she could start to see tears forming in his eyes. She took his arm.

Henry took his father's shawl. It was crazy, but he could almost smell his father's scent still there, which made him more real than anything since he learned of his death.

"T-thank you. I'll be sure to keep this safe."

"You don't have to do that." Emma suddenly said.

It was then that Rumple was quite sure that they were doing something good. "But I want to. _We_ want to. I know I've made some bad choices in my life that's caused other people pain. But I am no longer that person. I'm going to do my very best to change everything."

Emma looked at the two, holding hands. While she would miss Neal very much, at least Henry would have a reminder of his father.

She then hugged Rumple once again, and thanked him.

"How about we all go to Granny's for something to eat?" David suggested.

Rumple grinned at Belle. He knew she could never resist having one of Granny's famous hamburgers. The group walked out, Henry still wearing his father's shawl.

Rumple realized then that what was doomed to be a very somber day was turning out to be one of the best days they've all had in a long while.

**The End**


End file.
